Late: The organism escapes, killing most of the crew and forcing the rest to hide fortify themselves within the ship. Center for State Security bureaucrat Tamsen Cauley is told to deal with the situation in a deniable manner. He dispatches the War Pigs to destroy the battlecruiser, sample and crew.[2]

Late March/Early April: The War Pigs succeed, but one of their member dies.[2]

November 8: Alpha Squadron forces proceed to engage the Sons of Korhal. However, they find themselves under attack by zerg organisms. Cerberus Recon Squad comes to their assistance, helping them defeat the creatures along with the SOK.[5]

In the wake of the presence of the aliens and the Cerberus unit, the Sons of Korhal abandon Chau Sara.[6]

With the aid of Alpha Squadron, the Cerberus unit gains access to the Flannum Installation, which has been overrun by the zerg. The Confederate scientists inside are safely evacuated.[7]

November 11: The scientists are evacuated to Chau Sara's main military stronghold, though the city of Los Andares falls to the zerg. Edmund Duke successfully leads a reclamation of it.[8][note 2]

Los Andares Prison falls under attack. The Confederacy rescues the guards but abandons the prisoners. It takes the Confederacy three days to reclaim the site.[9]

November 12: Against Collins' wishes, Alpha Squadron presses on and manages to defeat the zerg and destroy their primary hive clusters. The events are subsequently classified.[10]

Mid November: Confederate controlled media portray the action on Chau Sara as a victory against the Sons of Korhal. Chau Sara is placed under lockdown, with all traffic and communication into and out of the colony heavily restricted.[10]

December 2: Mar Sara begins to lose contact with its outland colonist stations. Recon squads are sent in, but contact is lost with them also.[14]

December 7: The Confederates send out a reconnaissance-in-force of Mar Sara, confirming that it has been infested by the zerg.[14]

December 8: The protoss fleet arrives at Chau Sara. Scans reveal that the topsoil has become infested with creep and most of the colonists killed or infested. Upon hearing of the situation, the Conclave orders Tassadar to torch the planet, in which he sorrowfully obeys. All life on the surface is extinguished, and Tassadar is ordered to do the same to any colony that had even the slightest possibility of infestation. Tassadar progresses, but begins to doubt the morality of such genocidal orders.[11]

The Confederacy is thrown into disarray over the sudden protoss attack. Predicting that Mar Sara will be next in line, a clumsy counter-attack is dispatched to the Sara system.[11]

There is widespread panic throughout the United Powers League. The dissident countries in South America are brought into its fold, thus expanding its powers and causing it to be renamed the 'United Earth Directorate'. The UED takes a more proactive, militaristic stance in regards to alien affairs and begins monitoring the protoss and zerg, gathering data on their strengths and weaknesses.[15]

A few days after these events, the Sons of Korhal carry out a poison gas attack on a public plaza on Haji while a multi-train accident occurs on Moria.[3]

December 12: Tassadar's fleet is confronted over Chau Sara. Tassadar withdraws, not wanting to unleash more death. The phase is heralded as a Confederate victory.[11] In the aftermath, Duke sends a message to the colonial magistrate, ordering its citizens to be relocated to concentration points in the wastelands, thus allowing easier evacuation.[3]

December 13: Backwater Station comes under attack by zerg forces. Duke reassures the magistrate that Alpha Squadron will take care of it, but Raynor sets off on his own with the magistrate sending in militia forces knowing that Alpha Squadron, despite its reputation, probably won't move fast enough to save the station.[17]

After interviewing the locals, Liberty and Alpha Squadron Lieutenant Emily Swallow enter Anthem Base, where they're attacked by the zerg. Swallow is killed, but Liberty is saved by Raynor, who links up with a small group of colonial militia. They destroy an infested command center near Backwater Station.[3]

December 17: Alpha Squadron marines arrest Raynor and the militia for “treasonous activities.” They're hauled up to a prison ship in high orbit. Liberty makes his way back to the evacuation point but finds it abandoned, except for Sarah Kerrigan, who takes him to a safehouse. A hologram of Arcturus Mengsk appears. He reveals that the Confederacy plans to abandon Mar Sara so they can watch the zerg and protoss duke it out on and above the planet, “in order to save their own hides.” The citizens are considered expendable. However, Mengsk is willing to save them. They make a deal; Liberty speaks on Mengsk's behalf and Mengsk will bust Raynor and his men from the prison ship.[3]

December 18: After the breakout, Raynor and Liberty lead a raid on the Jacobs Installation, encountering light resistance, yet finding zerg in holding pens. They retrieve the sought after weapons data and evacuate. The Sons of Korhal abandon the planet.[3]

Liberty is granted a series of interviews with Mengsk. He comes to believe in his cause. Meanwhile, Kerrigan is dispatched to Antiga Prime.[3]

Alpha Squadron forces are stationed on Antiga Prime to quell the rebellion that's brewing on the planet. With the aid of the Sons of Korhal however, Alpha control is thrown into disarray, the Antigans rising up against the Confederacy.[21]

↑Edmund Duke: "We've already received the distress beacon from Backwater, and we'll take care of it. You just sit tight. You'll be notified if there's anything we think you need to know."Jim Raynor: "Damn! Listen, if we wait for Confederate reinforcements, that station's dust. I'll head out there now, do what I can. You send in some militia, and we'll save those folks. Trust me." StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Level/area: Backwater Station (in English). 1998.

↑This conflicts with information from StarCraft: Precursor, which had Duke present on Chau Sara in November 2499 (a month before the protoss attack), but in Liberty's Crusade Duke only reached Chau Sara after the protoss attack.

↑This conflicts with information from StarCraft: Liberty's Crusade, which had Michael Liberty aboard Duke's flagship since September 2499. In Liberty's Crusade Duke only reached Chau Sara after the protoss attack, so could not have personally led forces on Chau Sara.

↑Spectres provides the year, whereas Chau Sara being the point of first contact provides the month—at the earliest, the zerg would have been sighted after December 8th.

↑Kerrigan mentions her encounter with Raynor as being six years ago during Heart of the Swarm. As the game takes place in 2505, their early actions on Antiga Prime must take place during this year (rounded up to six years—specifically it would be 5 years and 1 month).